Posted on 06/22/2026 11:57:26 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Davis was responsible for launching artists like Whitney Houston, Barry Manilow and Alicia Keys to superstardom.
Clive Davis, the legendary music executive who shepherded the careers of such stars as Whitney Houston, Barry Manilow and Alicia Keys, died on Monday (June 22) at his home in New York from age-related illness. He was 94.
Davis rose to prominence while serving as president of Columbia Records from 1967 to 1973, before founding his own label, Arista, where he signed Manilow and stars including Aretha Franklin, Patti Smith and Dionne Warwick, among many others. In 2000, he founded J Records, which was responsible for launching acts including Keys and Maroon 5 to superstardom.
Related Bootsy Collins Bootsy Collins Signs Davie as First Artist to Bootzilla Records Mitchell Peters Known as “The Man With the Golden Ears,” Davis became an industry icon for helping shape the popular sound of genres including pop, rock, R&B and hip-hop during a career that spanned more than 60 years. In the process, he signed, mentored and/or worked closely with such legendary artists as Janis Joplin, Carlos Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Alan Jackson, Luther Vandross, Kenny G, Usher, Earth, Wind & Fire, Sly and the Family Stone, Rod Stewart and Jennifer Hudson. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 and received a Trustees Award from the Recording Academy in 2000.
“To the world, our father was the iconic music legend whose vision, instincts, and relentless pursuit of excellence shaped the soundtrack of countless lives,” said the Davis family in a statement. “He discovered, mentored, and championed the greatest artists in modern music history, leaving an indelible mark on culture that will endure for generations.
“To his family, Clive was Dad and Granddaddy, the steady presence at the center of our lives, the source of wisdom, strength, encouragement, and unconditional love. No matter how extraordinary his professional accomplishments, he never lost sight of what mattered most: the people he loved.
“Through every chapter of his remarkable life, family remained Clive’s greatest pride and deepest joy. Today, we celebrate not only a towering figure whose influence changed music forever, but the man who led our family with grace, generosity, and kindness. We will miss him greatly, cherish him always, and carry his love with us for the rest of our lives.”
Davis was born in Brooklyn on April 4, 1932, to Herman and Florence Davis, the former of whom worked as an electrician and a salesman. Though Davis would go on to outlive most of his peers, his parents died while he was still a teenager, leading him to move in with his older sister, Seena, in Queens. In college, Davis attended New York University, from which he graduated magna cum laude with a degree in political science. After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1956, he began his music business career in the legal department of Columbia Records at age 28. In 1967, he rose to president of Columbia’s parent company CBS Records, where he signed Janis Joplin and her band Big Brother and the Holding Company after seeing them perform at the Monterey International Pop Festival. While at CBS, Davis demonstrated a knack for signing other future stars, including Santana, Billy Joel and Aerosmith.
After his firing from CBS Records in 1973 after being accused of misappropriating company funds, which he denied, Davis formed his own label, Arista Records, where he worked with artists as diverse as Manilow and Patti Smith. Manilow had Arista’s first No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit, “Mandy,” in 1975. That same year, Davis plucked Patti Smith from relative obscurity to release her hugely influential and successful 1975 debut album Horses. During that period, he continued to show a rare instinct for understanding what would resonate with the public. He also helped engineer comebacks for a number of older stars whose careers had lost some of their shimmer, from Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick to Santana, whose 1999 collaborative album Supernatural went multi-platinum and scored a total of nine Grammy wins, including album of the year. Including his Grammy win for that album, Davis won four Grammys during his lifetime out of five nominations.
Davis’ biggest success at Artista came when he signed Whitney Houston, the younger cousin of Arista artist Dionne Warwick. On the release of her 1985 self-titled debut album, Houston shot to fame with a trio of No. 1 hits on the Hot 100, including “How Will I Know,” “Saving All My Love for You” and “Greatest Love of All.” Houston went on to become one of the best-selling artists of all time, notching a total of 11 No. 1 hits on the Hot 100 during the course of a career that was cut short with her death in 2012. Following her untimely passing, Davis delivered a eulogy that began, “You wait for a voice like that for a lifetime. You wait for a face like that, a smile like that, a presence like that for a lifetime. And when one person embodies it all, well it takes your breath away.”
Despite being in his late 60s when he departed Arista at the turn of the millennium, Davis wasn’t content to slow down. In 2000, he launched another successful venture with J Records, which he dubbed “an instant major,” though it was an independent label that scored backing from Arista’s parent company Bertelsmann Music Group and was distributed through RCA. There, Davis launched another generational talent, Alicia Keys, whose debut album, 2001’s Songs in A Minor, included the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Fallin'” and was eventually certified seven-times platinum by the RIAA.
In 2002, after BMG purchased a majority stake in J Records, Davis was named president and CEO of RCA Music Group. He remained in that role until 2008, when, at age 76, he was named chief creative officer at Sony BMG, and, later, chief creative officer at Sony Music Entertainment, a title he held until his death. He published an autobiography, The Soundtrack of My Life, in 2013.
Outside of music, Davis became known for his humanitarian efforts, including his work battling the AIDS epidemic beginning in the mid-1980s. Raising millions in donations to AIDS charities over the years, in 1990, he notably turned Arista’s 15th anniversary concert in 1990 into a benefit to fight the disease. Over the course of his life, he was bestowed with numerous awards recognizing his philanthropy, including humanitarian of the year from the T.J. Martell Foundation and the humanitarian award from the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR). His annual pre-Grammy gala, one of the most coveted invites during Grammy week, has served as a fundraiser for causes including The Recording Academy’s MusiCares nonprofit and the Grammy Museum.
In 2011, Davis’ alma mater, New York University, awarded him an honorary PhD of Fine Arts. That same year, Davis made a gift of $5 million to the university, which subsequently dubbed its department of recorded music the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music in his honor.
Davis is survived by his partner, Greg Schriefer; sons Fred, Doug and Mitchell; daughter Lauren; eight grandchildren, Austin, Charlie, Matthew, Hayley, Harper, Sloane, Billie and Cody; two great grandchildren; and cousin Jo Schuman.
The most instrumental person behind Whitney Houston’s career and her most iconic hits. “I will always love you” “I wanna dance with somebody” etc...
He also was behind hits like
“All by myself” by Eric Carmen
“Blinded by the light” by Bruce Sprinsteen.
etc...
Makes sense he's a NY-er but generationally, it's interesting how he had an ear for sounds that would impact people much younger.
“but mamma... that’s where the fun is.”
I don’t see how looking in the sights of the sun is fun, but sure.
One of those guys who would have a wife and family to hide their homosexual promiscuity.
Was he wrapped up like a douche?
Clive Davis was ousted from his position as president of Columbia Records (part of CBS) in May 1973 when the company filed a civil suit accusing him of using $94,000 in company funds (roughly $700,000 in today’s money) for personal expenses.
The specific allegations included:
Apartment Renovations: embezzling company money to pay for extensive remodeling and alterations to his New York City apartment.
Lavish Parties: Bankrolling a $20,000 bar mitzvah for his son at the Plaza Hotel.
Vacation Housing: Renting a summer home in Beverly Hills using corporate funds.
Davis was eventually charged with six counts of tax evasion, of which he pleaded guilty to one lesser count and was otherwise exonerated.
Clive Davis as president was also accused of providing drugs to artists. While a grand jury investigated the broader music industry’s involvement in hard drugs and payola at the time, Davis vehemently denied personal drug involvement.
He went on to found Arista Records in 1974.
**One of those guys who would have a wife and family to hide their homosexual promiscuity.**
And his earthly fame will mean nothing to the Judge of his soul.
The music industry’s recorded connection to payola and hard drugs involves a shift from cash bribes in the 1950s to “drugola” in the 1970s—where record labels traded cocaine and heroin to radio DJs and artists to secure radio airplay, bypass federal laws, and solidify mob ties.
1. The Era of Traditional Payola (1950s)
What it was: Originally coined in the 1930s, payola was the illegal, undisclosed practice of record labels bribing disc jockeys (DJs) to play their songs and boost artificial popularity.The Scandal: During the rise of rock and roll in the 1950s, record companies funneled cash, vacations, and writing credits directly to DJs.
A 1959 congressional investigation led by the FCC destroyed the careers of influential DJs like Alan Freed and ruined reputations. Congress officially amended the Communications Act in 1960 to outlaw undisclosed payments.
2. The Rise of “Drugola” (1970s)
What it was: Following the 1960 federal crackdown, labels and promoters had to adapt. Because money trails were scrutinized, some executives began bribing DJs, musicians, and radio program directors with hard drugs, most notably cocaine.
The Clive Davis CBS Scandal: In 1973, federal investigations into Columbia Records (spearheaded by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Newark) revealed massive corporate corruption. A federal grand jury probe unveiled that record executives sometimes supplied illegal narcotics—paid for with convertible, stolen rock albums—as a form of payola to secure playlist additions.
Mob Connections: The U.S. Senate investigation also pointed to reputed Mafia infiltration in the industry, where organized crime figures allegedly collaborated with record executives in drug trafficking networks and strong-armed promoters.
3. Structural Shifts and the Modern Industry
Independent Promoters: To avoid liability, major labels increasingly outsourced their promotion to third-party independent promoters. By laundering the bribes through these external entities, labels could distance themselves legally from accusations of “pay for play”.
Modern Implications: Though hard drug payola faded as a widespread corporate strategy, federal scrutiny over “pay for play” has continued periodically into the 21st century. State and federal investigations, such as those led by former New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer in 2002, have continued to target labels for indirect gifts and promotional deals.
A friend played in an orchestra with Bootsy Collins. She had no idea who he was.
Probably in the Epstein files. Virtually all of the big democrat donors are.
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